The Seven Kings of Rome
by M.A.Ghoul
Summary: A historical fic about the legendary and semi-legendary original rulers of Rome. Warnings: OCs and no Germania and a Chibi!Rome.


Hell, Ghoul here, welcoming you to 'Rome and His Seven Kings,' my first fanfic for this site. I've written fanfic before on deviantArt, and random crack stuff.

**Author Note:**

Okay, so this is, like the description said, a historical fic based on the semi-legendary seven kings of Rome, who first ruled what would later become the ruler of the Mediterranean. It will be told in alternating views after this prologue right here, switching between Rome and the kings, and maybe possibly some very important side characters later on... If I continue it here. That largely depends on the reception it gets here. I'll also be posting it on deviantArt (.com).

It will be separated into parts, a part for each king: Romulus, Numa Pomilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Marcius, Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, and Lucius Tarquinius Superbus.

Um... Anything else...? Oh yeah, there will be OCs (I really hate that in fanfics but I can' t really get around it with this one ^^;). Most of them will be actual historical (...legendary and semi-legendary...) figures, but there will be others like little baby Rome. I know for a fact I'll be personifying Sabine (has anyone done this before? If not, _why not?_), Alba Longa, and Veii, and others that he fights/kills along the way. This actually fits with my headcanon that the major tribes/cities had personifications but in such cases as Rome, they either disappeared or were killed as Rome grew and spread over their lands.

Um... I'll put aterisks next to things that will have historical notes at the bottom. (The [#] things are a little too distracting to me)

Inspired By: History of Rome podcast (where most of the info comes from)

And I do not own Hetalia, because I'm too lazy and art-challenged for that.

* * *

April 21st, 753 B.C.

Sparse and brittle grass crunched beneath Romulus' feet as he approached the half-built walls of the city. On the other side, clad in a simple white tunic not unlike the one he himself was wearing, Remus stood with his followers gathered behind him. Romulus met his twin's gold eyes and frowned.

"Remus," he called. "Give up this folly, I beg this of you. If you do, you may go and we shall not have to resort to blood shed."

"And why should I believe you? You are not known for your morals, brother. How do I know you won't set that rabble you call a following on me the moment I turn my back?" Remus crossed his arms, grinning.

"I am not one to attack an unarmed man. Have your followers drop their weapons and I-" Remus laughed, cutting him off.

"You? Tell me, Romulus, who it was then that slit the throats of sleeping brigands as we stole from them?" Romulus ground his teeth.

"And who was it who planned it all?" He snapped. "Was it not you who told me who to kill so you would not dirty your hands?"

"It was I! Very good, brother. But those are the qualities expected of a king." Remus stepped forward and ran a hand along the waist high wall. "The city does not need a barbarian who attacks everything that moves yet can't even defend a camp."

Romulus watched with raised brows as Remus hoisted himself up onto the wall. Straightening, he stood tall and proud and Romulus could not deny that he looked a king.

The twins were identical with the same square jaws, straight noses, mops of curly black hair, wiry frames and richly tanned skin. They were perfectly identical and yet it was Remus, not Romulus, who gave off the air of a king.

Once a woman had said that it was their eyes that set them apart. They had looked at each other and were met with a mirror image. Before they could ask what she meant she had continued, explaining. She had said that Remus had the eyes of their grandfather, hard and calculating. She then turned to Romulus and told him that his were like a wolf's; like the she-wolf that had raised them. He had ignored her words then, but now (much to his dismay he was beginning to see what she meant.

"It seems that the old woman was right. What do you think, brother?" Remus asked from atop the wall. Romulus jerked, grimacing. His twin had always held the unsettling ability to read his thoughts. "Our grandfather's blood, the blood of kings, runs in me while you still have the wolf-bitch thick in your veins." Romulus growled low in his throat, pulling his pugio* from his belt. He fingered the large, leaf shaped blade as he spoke, looking up at his twin.

"Brother, be silent or our city will begin with me spilling the blood of my kin." Remus laughed again.

"How wonderful! The wolf king shall start his reign with fratricide*! Well then, come at me, my dear brother. Begin your rule over a damned city." Romulus stepped forward suddenly, closing the gap between them in a few easy steps. He grabbed his brother's tunic and pulled him down, catching him by the arm as he fell. Remus' eyes grew wide as they met his twin's. "Wait, Romulus, I did not truly mean it. You are the king, dear broth-"

Heart pounding in his ears, Romulus sliced the knife across Remus' throat, the blood spraying his face and clothes. Still holding the blade he released the corpse and stumbled back, wiping furiously at his eyes to get rid of the blood.

When his eyes were clear, the new king jerked his head up and looked at his brother's followers, shaking.

"I am the king of this place," he said, voice quivering. He swallowed thickly and repeated himself. "I am the king of this place called Rome. I will defend the people and make us great, and I will not hesitate to kill those who threatened us. So perish, whoever oversteps my battlements."*

* * *

After Romulus had commanded Remus' body to be sent to his grandfather, he set off in the direction of the ramshackle camp that was his kingdom, pugio still in hand. Small, thread bare tents surrounded a larger, more ornate one. The wall that surrounded it was huge but weak, looking ready to crumble at any moment. _It is nothing yet, _Romulus thought to himself. _But soon, very soon, it shall be great._

He looked up at the sky as he walked, noting the clear blue sky. _The gods are strange... I have killed my brother and stolen what was most likely his birth right and yet the gods have not sent so much as rain._ He shook his head, not quite believing his fortune. Though he reminded himself that the gods had their own way of punishing mortals such as himself, and he should be careful.

He stepped past the guards and into the largest of the tents- his. Though the area had little to furnish it, it took him a few moments to see what was different. His eyes traveled first to the huge, brightly colored rug that served as his floor, then to the wash basin dominating the right of the tent. Then his eyes moved the trunk in the left of the tent, holding what few personal items he had. It wasn't until his eyes rested on the cot in the center of the room did he notice it.

His bedclothes rested in a heap in the center of his cot. From the middle of the bundle, two golden eyes stared at him unblinking. Romulus felt his heart skip a beat and his arm shot up, pointing the pugio, shaking, at the bundle. _Gods... Do not tell me... It is Romulus, come again..._

"Sh-show yourself!" He commanded, cursing himself for stuttering. "Remove those sheets, your king commands you."

Ever so slowly, the sheets fell away to reveal a small boy, barely more than a babe, shaking badly. Romulus let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as he slowly realized that it wasn't his brother's ghost.

"Stand, child," he said, waving the blade. The boy stood obediently and Romulus looked him over curiously. The child did resemble the twins, to be sure, but his hair was darker and skin lighter. Nor did his eyes hold the characteristics of their grandfather or the she-wolf. No... The boy's eyes held caution and doubt and fear, but underneath it all Romulus swore he saw the fire of ambition. The new king stepped forward and knelt in front of the boy, who flinched away. Romulus did not blame him, though. With his pugio, clothes, and face covered in blood, and the shadow of death still hanging over him, he must of looked a servant of Mars or Pluto*. He sheathed the blade and met the boy's eyes.

"Who are you, child?" He asked as gently as possible. The voice that came out was soft and trembling.

"I... I am..." He paused and looked down, face scrunching as though in thought.

"What is your name? The child took a shaky breath and looked up, tiny jaw clenching.

"I am Rome."

* * *

**A.N.:**

Why is this so short? It was so much longer on paper. ;_; Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this. Notes are below; read and review please!

Pugio: A traditional Roman weapon. We're actually a bit too far back in time for that, but the information the internet tends to give me is around Rome's empirical age, so I'm doing my best with what I can. ^^; They're described as leaf shaped and came into use around 1 A.D. (so _way_ too far back for them). Here's a website: .#Republic

Fratricide: The killing of a brother, sister, or close kinsmen. Killing one's family was a sure fire way to get you cursed by the gods. Romulus is just lucky. Like, really lucky.

"So perish, whoever oversteps my battlements": This is what Romulus is believed to have said after killing Remus.

Pluto and Mars: It's a story about Rome, so we use the Roman names. This would be Hades or Ares. The gods (legend speaking) are around at this point because the people who founded Rome are actually descended from Trojans who managed to escape right after the Trojan War. .org/wiki/Founding_of_Rome The Trojans were, technically Greek, so yes, they get Greek gods. Romans didn't steal the gods, just carried them over from their homeland and changed the name.

(Also, going by that logic- or my own screwy logic, Ancient Greece is Rome's mom. Oedipus complex anyone? XD)


End file.
